Beer: Ratings & Reviews

Reviews by HiroProtagonist:

Hair of the Dog Adam "batch 59" was served from a 12 oz. bottle. In a Duvel tulip, the beer was an attractive dark ruddy brown, with an abstract scattered stiff tannish head. The perky nose contained roasty and rich sharp malts, with strong notes of plump raisins and subtler banana. Smelled like tasty meal in a bottle. My suspicions were proven correct on the first taste, which revealed a robust and sharp, rich and roasty raisiny malt body, with notes of earth and banana. A moderately bitter finish rounded out the deep and complex malt profile, with lingering pruny-raisin oaky essence that satisfied the palate to the very end. The body was full and rich, like the flavors. Alcohol was completely hidden throughout. While quite rich, this beer was quite drinkable due to the fine balance of it all. This is probably my favorite example of the style. A must try for enthusiasts of rich/strong ales.

Nice to finally try this beer,poures an almost black definently very dark with a great creamy head that leaves waves of lace.Aroma has a spicey quality to it like roasted peppers and some alcohol notes,taste is complex with some peppery taste along with a chocolate note with some smokey flavors coming out as it warms.A beer to sip and savour well made and worth its press clippings.

Appearance  Monster head that laces all exposed areas of the inside glass. The color is a deep, dark, rich brown  almost black.

Smell  Lots of smells in this one. Burnt malt and brown sugar come to mind, along with struggling hops and a juicy, chewing tobacco scent.

Taste  This is like syrup. Thick, chewy malts laden with tobacco, burnt brown sugar, prunes (lots of prunes), raisins, and other dark fruits. The sugar comes out even more at the end with a lingering finish along with the alcohol. There are some bitter hops in there somewhere but Im having trouble picking them out.

Mouthfeel  No carbonation to speak of. The beer is creamy smooth though.

Drinkability  Well, it carries a 10% ABV, so I wouldnt be shooting it with pizza or pretzels. It is smooth enough to go down well though.

Comments  This is a full-bodied heavy hitter and not for the faint of heart. The majority of inexperienced drinkers would probably pour most of the bottle down the sink. I like a strong, malty dark ale but the unbalanced character keeps me away from 5s on this one.

Update  For my 2004 re-review I found the flavor tainted with some off sour notes which brought the Taste rating down by 0.5.

Update  For my 2005 review we are back on track. The sourness is gone, the rating is back up, and for the first time in history the bottle didnt explode all over my kitchen floor. Yeehaw!

A: Reddish brown with a pretty big, almost fluffy, head that fizzes away into some lacings.

S: The smell is fantastic. Very complex, don't even know if I'm able to decipher everything going on here. Here's a lot of malts - caramel, dark bread, fudge and even some roasted notes. Vinous fruits (cherries, raisins, figs) and wood. Spices reminiscent of cola, molasses and smooth alcohol notes.

T: The taste is no letdown either, to say the least. A gentle roasted character sits well with caramel, fudge and prominent vinous fruity notes. The fruits are not as well defined as in the smell. Then comes rich and sophisticated flavors of wood, raisins, dusty cellar and spices. The taste is very sweet but the roasted aromas, wood and spices keep everything on track. The finish is amazing. Luscious warming and semi-sweet alcohol, well balanced bitterness, leafy hops, wood and lingering sweetness. Very powerful. If I had to say something negative about it, I think the alcohol is just slightly too prominent. But that's of minor importance.

M: Medium to full body and creamy texture. Very pleasant.

D: This is just a fantastic beer. Very complex and oh so balanced. Drinks like a fine wine.

Dark roasted malt. Some dark dried sweet fruit like raisin or date. There is another food type that I cant place. Virtually no hop character. ABV. It doesnt take a genious to call this a full bodied beer.

Wow. Roasted malt finish. Wow. Ive never tasted a finish non-syrup like with this flavor. Lots of warming, non biting, ABV in the middle.

Sits very smooth for ABV. Almost like a Barley Wine. Lots a similarities between them. This brew gets better as temperature rises.

I love this brew. I cant really find a flaw in it. I wish I could drink like 4 of them starting at dinner. This would compliment a lot of meals and is a very hearty drink.

I originally got this beer in a BIF. Ive been looking to trade for them, but I think the price is a bit high. I might try to find some on the cheap any way possible.

Batch 79Pours flat into my Deschutes tulip. No head, no carbonation. Flat. Tastes good though. Very pronounced chocolate and figs up front and throughout. Slight tangyness in the aftertaste.Given the experiences others have had, I'll give this another try and update my review as appropriate.

T - Similar to smell, the earthy malts and deep dried fruits dominate. Also some molasses. Has a very woody character to it. Some alcohol apparent in the taste. Would have loved to have let this one sit for a year or two, but my suitcase was already full with other beers, so I had to drink this one out of a plastic cup in the hotel in San Diego.

M - medium mouthfeel with good carbonation. Alcohol provides some warming on the way down.

D - Probably a little too fresh to taste the full potential of this one, but clearly a nice take on the old ale. I only wish I could have brought more home.

A yeasty hoppy aroma with all kinds of hints of other things, a nice sweet malty blend of raisin banana lemon, almost like a weiss, thickish mouthfeel little bit of hop bitterness in the aftertaste, a complex sweetness lingered till the end.I seem to feel this is a great brew, but the blend just isn't something I'm into right now.

12 oz bottle - batch 67 (thanks to Crosling!). Pours a dark brown with a smallish creamy off white head that quickly recedes to a thin film that laces the glass.

The aroma is grainy chocolate, coffee, dark fruits and a little alcohol.

The flavor is sweet (sugary) and smoky chocolate, black licorice and vinous fruits with a tarry alcoholic bitter finish. As it warms, the alcohol overpowers the sweetness. The mouthfeel is medium to full and slightly watery with soft carbonation.

Overall, a very fine beer. It tastes a little like a super-charged Hibernation, but with more burnt tar and anise (which come out more as it warms). I liked it better colder.

Pours a very nice medium amber with lots of sediment and half finger head which sticks around for a bit. Aroma is cotton candy, brown sugar and malts. Taste is red grapes, lightly toasted dark malts, dark chocolate, and mild smokiness. Alcohol comes out on the finish which hurts drinkability. Perfect winter brew, wish this one was available locally.

Murky brown colour with a thin lace and decent head retention to boot. Aromas of ripe figs, caramel and husky grain.

Figgy sweet, layer of caramel, hints of husk and yeast, and struggling hop balance. Full bodied and very creamy on the tongue off of a moderate carbonation. Higher alcohols are merely in ester form and somewhat get lost in the malt in a very deceiving way. Sweet finish with a slow warming feeling.

Overly drinkable barleywines can be a dangerous thing, this beers name is dangerous. Goes down some smooth and creamy, with layers of sweetness that are no cloying at all caress the taste buds to bring them closer to heaven. Highly recommended especially on tap.

Dark brown with ruby and garnet highlights when held to a light. Poured with a creamy tan head that leaves a nice ring as you drink. Chocolate, toffee, prunes and raisins, some roast. Maybe some hops, but this babys about the malt. Chocolate is the overriding flavor here. Sharp bitterness and alcohol burn. Very mouth filling. Definatley a night cap.